1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a side-limit stop for a device for separating of paper pieces from a stack employing a side-limit stop of a feeding apparatus of a postage meter machine for any size letter envelopes.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the
Invention Including Prior Art
A modular constructed postage meter machine is known from the Journal "Hasler Mitteilungen" 37, April, 1978) 1, 1-7. The letter feeding apparatus of this postage meter machine comprises, among others, a support table or feed table for placing or feeding of the letter envelopes to be furnished with postage, a feed wedge, a letter separator, a taking-in or feeder segment, a side guidewall, and a laterally movable side stop. This side stop is adjusted in each case such to the dimension of the envelope to be provided with postage such that these envelopes are not maintained too loosely between the guidewall and the side stop. This side stop is provided with a certain area, but it is so narrow that it hardly interferes with a refilling of envelope stacks from the side. The stop can be folded downwardly by an angle of 180 degrees for allowing postage metering of oversized envelopes.
The side-limit stop is supported via a movable U-shaped bent sheetmetal crosswise to the direction of motion of the letter envelope below the feed table. In order to be able to laterally guide all conventional envelope sizes, starting from about C7 to C3, the shifting path is so large that the slidable sheetmetal piece protrudes in case of a narrower or smaller setting of the side-limit stop on the back side of the letter feeding apparatus.
A franking machine Hasler Mailmaster F204 (Trademark) is taught in Hasler Review Vol. 11, issue no. 1, Pages 2 to 7. This reference refers to a general postage metering machine.
An envelope prop for use in a mailing machine is taught in British Patent application GB-2146,626A to Hans J. Sinn et al. The envelope prop is provided with a support allowing sliding in one direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,036 teaches a sheet feeder with stack-holding tray having flexible-band-coupled guide elements. The reference teaches to employ a flexible band formed in a loop, where the band element is attached to guide elements at two locations for providing a motion in unison of the guide elements. The use of more than one movable guide element would complicate a postage metering machine.
A rotary reference edge for off-set stacking is taught by C. A. Beehler and J.M. Hopping, in IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 8, January 1983. Operation of this rotary reference edge requires the presence of a solenoid.
Today, there exists a desire not only to insert letter envelopes with closed or folded-over closure flaps in stacks into the feed apparatus but, in addition, to be able to insert also envelopes which have a flap which is open at an angle of 90 degrees. This requires the presence of a groove or a slot between the feed table and the side guidewall for receiving of the opened flaps. Furthermore, this desire requires a shortening of the slidable piece of sheetmetal such that this not cross the groove of the letter envelope flaps. The shortening in turn has the consequence that a side-limit stop of the recited construction cannot be adjusted to all envelope sizes.